CHESS
Double Dutch
Raymond Keene
EVER SINCE Dr Max Euwe won the world title for Holland in his match against Alekhine from the 1930s, the Netherlands (somewhat like Iceland) have been dispro- portionately passionate about chess. Apart from Euwe himself, grandmasters such as Donner and Timman have helped to put Holland on the global chess map. Period- ically, cries go up that chess interest in Holland is on the wane, but a continued stream of top-level tournaments on Dutch soil refutes such concerns. The latest Dutch exploits on the organi- sational front have been two attractive tournaments, one in which Anand emerged victorious and the other won convincingly by Judith Polgar.
Anand—Kramnik: Tilburg 1998; Petroff Defence.
1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nf6 In the hands of Petrosian, the Petroff might have been considered a drawing weapon but others, such as Pillsbury, Marshall, Yusupov and now Kramnik, have added it to their arsenal of counter-attacking devices. 3 Nxe5 d6 4 NB Nxe4 5 d4 d5 6 Bd3 Nc6 7 0-0 Be7 8 Re! Bg4 9 c3 5 10 Qb3 0-0 11 Nbd2 Na5 12 Qa4 Nc6 13 Bb5 Nxd2 14 Nxd2 Qd6 15 h3 The first deviation from the game Anand—Yusupov, Linares 1993 which continued 15 Nb3 Bh4 16 Rfl f4 with a quick draw. The point of White's innovation is to drive Black's light-squared bish- op away from the defence of e6 whilst simultane- ously removing White's h-pawn as a possible tar- get to combinations based on ...Be7-h4 fol- lowed by ... Bxf2+ and ... Chria. 15 ... Bh5 16 Nb3 Bh4 17 Nc5 (Diagram) Under the improved circumstances Black can no longer play ... f4 and give automatic protection to e6. Meanwhile, White threatens both Re6 and Nxb7. For these reasons, Black immediately resorts to desperate measures. 17 ... Bxf2+ 18 Kxf2 Qh2 19 Bxc6 bxc6 20 Qxc6 f4 21 Qxd5+ Ith8 22 Qxh5 13 Black's attack is full of enterprise but does not look sound. After White's next move, surrender- Position after 17 Nc5 ing the queen, White is left with a huge material advantage. 23 Qx13 Rxf3 + 24 Kx13 R18+ 25 Ke2 Qxg2+ 26 Kd3 Qx1h3+ 27 Kc2 Qg2+ 28 Bd2 Qg6+ 29 Re4 White's material advantage of rook plus bishop and knight against the black queen is overwhelming. What is worse, any attempt by Black to advance his kingside pawns will merely expose his own king. 29 ...h5 30 Rae! Re,8 31 Kcl Rxe4 32 Nxe4 h4 33 Ng5 Qh5 34 Re3 Tempting 34 ... Qxg5 35 Re8+. 34 Kg8 35 c4 Black resigns There is nothing left that Black can do.
Polgar—Spassky: VAM 1998; Ruy Lopez.
1 e4 e5 2 NO Nc6 3 Bb5 a6 4 Ba4 Nf6 5 0-0 Be7 6 Rd b5 7 Bb3 d6 8 c3 0-0 9 h3 Nb8 10 d4 Nbd7 11 Nbd2 Bb7 12 Bc2 Re8 13 Nfl exd4 This and Black's next are an unhappy experiment. More convincing is the immediate 13 ... d5 which Spassky used against Tal at Niksic 1983. The move of the game gives White too much central leeway. 14 cxd4 d5 15 e5 Ne4 16 N3d2 Nxd2 17 Bxd2 c5 Black counterattacks against White's centre but meanwhile White enjoys an ominous- ly free hand on the kingside. 18 Ne3 g6 19 Ng4 Bf8 20 dxc5 Bxc5 21 Nb6+ Kg7 22 Qt3 f6 23 e6 White's pieces have fed over naturally into an attack against the black king. Additionally, in order to ward off the assault Black has been obliged to permit the creation of a dangerous passed pawn. 23 ... Nf8 24 b4 Bb6 25 e7 One might have expected 25 Nf7 here. The text sacri- fices White's advanced pawn in order to concen- trate all of her forces directly in front of the black king. 25 Rxe7 26 Rxe7+ Qxe7 27 Re! Qd8 28 Ng4 Nd7 29 Qf4 KV 30 Qh6 Qg8 31 Qh4 Qh8 32 Nh6+ Kf8 33 Qg4 f5 This is desperate but the former world champion had to cope with the twin threats of Qxd7 and Qe6 34 Nxf5 Qf6 If 34 ... gxf5 35 Sh6+ Kf7 36 Qh5+ and mate fol- lows. 35 Bg5 Qc3 36 Re2 Bc7 37 Ng3 Ne5 38 Qe6 Nf7 39 Be7+ Kg8 40 Nh5 gxh5 41 Bf6 Black resigns If 41 ... Qc4 42 0e8+ Rxe8 43 Rxe8 checkmate, or 41 ... Qc6 42 Bxh7+ Kxh7 43 Qxf7+ Kh6 44 Qg7 checkmate.
Tilburg, Final Crosstable
1 2 3 I.Anand *
2. Leko 1/2 3. Sadler 1/2 1/2 * 4. Zvjaginsev 1/2 1/2 1/2 5. Kramnik 0 0 1/2
6. Piket 12 Y2 Y2 7. Adams 0 0 0 8. Svidler Y2 1/2 1/2
9. Van Wei), 1/2 72 72 10. Topalov 0 1/2
11. Lautier 0 12. Korchnoi 0
VAM Tournament, final crosstable 1. Polgar
2. Timman 3.Spassky 4. Shaked
In the above tables, 1 represents a win, 1/2 a draw and 0 a loss.
1/2 72
• lb
v, 11,
S 6 78 9 10 11 12 1 1/2 1 1/2 Y2 1/2 1 1
1 1/2 1 1/2 1/2
1/2 Y2 1 1/2 1/2 1/2 Y2 1/2 0 1 1/2 1/2 1/2 1/2 1 12
* lb 1/2 1/2 1 1 1/2 * 1/2 0 1 1/2 1 1/2 72 72 * 1 1/2 1 Y2 1 1 0 * 1 0 0 1/2 0 12 o • 1/2 YI 1 0 1 1/2 * 0 72 0 1/2 0 0 1/2 1/2 *
4
'/2
1/2
1 0 Y2 0
lb lb 1/2 1 Y2
1/2 1/2
Y2
0 0 1/2 1 • 72
1 1/2 772 7 6 6 6 51/2 51/2 5 5 41/2 41/2 31/2 1 1 2 2 3 * 1 y2 1 lb
o o 0 0 Y2 1/2 * * * lb lb * * 1/2 3 4
1/2 1 nh 1
4
1 5 1 31/2 1/2 21/2
1
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